Nashville’s Lunch Counter Sit-Ins
On February 18th, 1960, more than 200 student volunteers repeated the process, and this time, the lunch counters were immediately closed. Two days later, 350 volunteers staged another sit-in. White hecklers gathered, and violence was barely averted by police. On the 27th, a bigger sit-in occurred, and this time, the police were conspicuously absent. White segregationists headed to the stores, and violently attacked the black student volunteers. Some were beaten, others had cigarettes put out on their bare skins. When police eventually arrived, none of the white assailants were arrested. Eighty one black students, however, were charged with disorderly conduct and loitering. They were fined $50 each, but refused to pay the fines and opted to go to jail instead. More student volunteers stepped up, and mounted more sit-ins.
The arrests and trials finally led to intense media interest. As tensions mounted, Nashville’s mayor formed the Biracial Committee, comprised of local leaders. In April, it recommended that stores staff two lunch counters, one for blacks, and one for whites. The protesters declined to accept segregation, and insisted upon complete equality. On April 19th, a bomb was thrown into the house of a prominent civil rights activist. Rather than intimidate Nashville’s blacks, the bombing led to a mass rally, and even more national and international media attention. Finally, an agreement was reached to gradually desegregate the lunch counters. Integration began on May 10th, 1960, and brought with it an end to the sit-ins and boycott.